The Philippines Men’s National team, Gilas Pilipinas, could get a huge boost with the possible addition of Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto to their roster.
According to the Gilas Pilipinas’ head coach, Chot Reyes, the former NBA 6th man of the year could join the team on August 15 to practice for the upcoming window in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
According to Reyes, the Utah Jazz guard made himself available for the next window which will feature a battle against one of the top teams in Asia, Lebanon, on August 25.
Bringing Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto to Gilas
Furthermore, he specified that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is already making moves to solve logistic and legal issues to bring Clarkson to the Philippines before the 2022-2023 NBA season begins.
“I know that SBP is talking to his representative, his agent, and his management team to fix all the logistics to allow him to come in and play.”
Even though Jordan Clarkson has a Filipina mother, he will be playing as a “naturalized player” instead of a local. As for the Gilas Pilipinas, they just recently missed the FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals after 15 years.
Before that, the team also failed to capture the gold medal in the Southeast Asia Games, after losing to Indonesia.
On the other hand, Kai Sotto’s next move is still unknown.
Kai just recently signed with a big sports agency, Wasserman, leaving Joel Bell in the process. After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, the 21-year-old is still optimistic about his NBA dreams and says that he “will not stop”.
Related: BREAKING NEWS: Kai Sotto Will be Back to NBL
There have been talks of him going back to the NBL (National Basketball League) with the Adelaide 36ers to exercise his existing contract. But, if he makes himself available for the next 2023 FIBA World Cup window, it would be amazing to see him back with Gilas again and possibly team up with Jordan Clarkson.
With a possible Sotto and Clarkson tandem, the team could become very lethal both on offense and defense.
- Kai Sotto prides himself in defense while also being a threat on the scoring end.
- Meanwhile, the 2021 6th man of the year, Jordan Clarkson, is a walking bucket that could score from anywhere on the court
- He is a pivotal member of the Utah Jazz and his skills could bring this young Gilas team to a greener pasture.
However, the question lies if both players get the permit to play for their country since they are both signed outside the SBP. That Filipino fans should take this news with a grain of salt.
Will we see Kai Sotto and Jordan Clarkson share the floor? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
OTHER NEWS: Kai Sotto Signs With Wasserman Sports Agency; Parts Ways With Joel Bell
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